Career Timeline of Jeff Bezos: Major Achievements and Milestones

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Jeff Bezos made an impact.

Jeff Bezos is an American businessman renowned as the founder, executive chairman, and former CEO of Amazon, a global leader in e-commerce and cloud computing. He is among the wealthiest individuals globally, with an estimated net worth exceeding $220 billion as of May 2025, according to Forbes. Bezos held the title of the world's richest person from 2017 to 2021, according to Forbes and Bloomberg, solidifying his status as a prominent figure in both the business and technology sectors.

Sections (6)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

1986: Job Offers and Fitel

After graduating from college in 1986, Jeff Bezos was offered jobs at Intel, Bell Labs, and Andersen Consulting, among others. He first worked at Fitel, a fintech telecommunications start-up.

1986: Graduation from Princeton University

In 1986, Jeff Bezos graduated from Princeton University with a degree in engineering and subsequently began working on Wall Street.

1988: Product Manager at Bankers Trust

In 1988, Jeff Bezos transitioned into the banking industry when he became a product manager at Bankers Trust.

1990: D. E. Shaw & Co

From 1990, Jeff Bezos worked at D. E. Shaw & Co, a newly created hedge fund with a strong emphasis on mathematical modelling.

July 5, 1994: Amazon Founded

On July 5, 1994, Jeff Bezos and his then-wife, MacKenzie Scott, officially founded Amazon in a rented garage in Bellevue, Washington, marking the start of the online bookstore.

1994: Senior Vice-President at D.E. Shaw

By 1994, Jeff Bezos had become D. E. Shaw's fourth senior vice-president by age 30.

1994: Bezos Moves to Seattle and Founds Amazon

In 1994, Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie moved to Seattle, Washington, where Bezos founded Amazon.

1994: Amazon Founded

In mid-1994, Jeff Bezos founded Amazon, initially as an online bookstore, during a road trip from New York City to Seattle.

1997: Bezos becomes a millionaire

Jeff Bezos first became a millionaire in 1997 after raising $54 million through Amazon's initial public offering (IPO).

1997: Equity Offering

Jeff Bezos used the $54 million raised during Amazon's 1997 equity offering to finance the aggressive acquisition of smaller competitors.

1997: The Motley Fool Estimates Bezos' Net Worth

The Motley Fool estimated that if Jeff Bezos had not sold any of his shares from its original public offering in 1997, his net worth would sit at $181 billion in 2018.

1998: Diversification into Music and Video

In 1998, Jeff Bezos diversified Amazon into the online sale of music and video, expanding the company's product offerings.

1998: Bezos invests in Google

In 1998, Jeff Bezos made an early investment of $250,000 in Google.

1998: Annual letter for Amazon shareholders

Since 1998, Jeff Bezos has published an annual letter for Amazon shareholders wherein he frequently refers to five principles: focus on customers, not competitors; take risks for market leadership; facilitate staff morale; build a company culture; and empower people.

1999: Purchase of Pets.com

In 1999, Jeff Bezos purchased a majority stake in pets.com.

September 2000: Bezos founds Blue Origin

In September 2000, Jeff Bezos founded Blue Origin, a human spaceflight startup, reflecting his long-held interest in space travel and the development of human life in the Solar System.

2000: Blue Origin Founded

In 2000, Jeff Bezos founded Blue Origin, an aerospace manufacturer and sub-orbital spaceflight services company.

2002: Amazon Web Services Launch

In 2002, Jeff Bezos led Amazon to launch Amazon Web Services, which compiled data from weather channels and website traffic.

2003: Meyerson leads Blue Origin

From 2003 to 2017, Rob Meyerson led Blue Origin and served as its first president.

2003: Amazon Rebounds

In 2003, Amazon rebounded from financial instability and turned a profit of $35 million.

2005: Bezos' net worth increases

From 2005 to 2007, Jeff Bezos quadrupled his net worth to $8.7 billion.

November 2007: Amazon Kindle Launch

In November 2007, Jeff Bezos launched the Amazon Kindle.

New Amazon Kindle (16 GB) - Lightest and most compact Kindle, with glare-free display, faster page turns, adjustable front light, and long battery life - Black

Check it on Amazon

2007: Bezos' net worth increases

From 2005 to 2007, Jeff Bezos quadrupled his net worth to $8.7 billion.

2009: Donations to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Between 2009 and 2017, Jeff Bezos donated to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

2010: Bezos Donates Against Income Tax

In 2010, Jeff Bezos donated $100,000 towards a movement against a Washington state income tax for "top earners".

2010: Bezos wealth rises

Jeff Bezos's wealth rose by 85.2% in 2010, leaving him with $12.6 billion and ascending him to the 43rd spot on the ranking from 68th.

2011: Bezos Discusses Alexa Goal With Technical Advisor Greg Hart

In his initial discussion of the project which became Alexa with his technical advisor Greg Hart in 2011, Jeff Bezos told him that the goal was to create "the Star Trek computer."

2012: Bezos Supports Same-Sex Marriage

In 2012, Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Bezos supported the legalization of same-sex marriage, and contributed $2.5 million to Washington United for Marriage, a group supporting a yes vote on Washington Referendum 74.

May 2013: Bezos meets Branson

In May 2013, Jeff Bezos met with Richard Branson of Virgin Galactic to discuss commercial spaceflight opportunities and strategies.

August 5, 2013: Bezos Announces Purchase of The Washington Post

On August 5, 2013, Jeff Bezos announced his purchase of The Washington Post for $250 million in cash, influenced by Don Graham's suggestion.

October 1, 2013: Sale of The Washington Post Closes

On October 1, 2013, the sale of The Washington Post to Nash Holdings, a holding company established by Jeff Bezos, closed, and Nash Holdings took control of the newspaper.

2013: Bezos Expeditions Funds Engine Recovery

In 2013, Bezos Expeditions funded the recovery of two Saturn V first-stage Rocketdyne F-1 engines from the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. These engines were identified as belonging to the Apollo 11 mission's S-1C stage from July 1969.

2013: Pledge to Worldreader

In 2013, Jeff Bezos pledged $500,000 to Worldreader, a non-profit organization founded by a former Amazon employee.

2013: Purchase of The Washington Post

In 2013, Jeff Bezos purchased The Washington Post, a major American newspaper, for $250 million.

2013: CIA Contract

In 2013, Jeff Bezos secured a $600-million contract with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on behalf of Amazon Web Services.

March 2014: Paywall Lifted for Some Subscribers

In March 2014, Jeff Bezos made his first significant change at The Washington Post by lifting the online paywall for subscribers of a number of U.S. local newspapers in Texas, Hawaii, and Minnesota.

2014: Amazon Wins CIA Cloud Computing Contract

In 2014, Amazon won a bid for a cloud computing contract with the CIA valued at $600 million.

2014: Bezos' Net Worth Rises After Amazon Smartphone Rumor

In 2014, after a rumor surfaced that Amazon was developing a smartphone, Jeff Bezos' net worth increased to $30.5 billion.

2015: New Shepard reached space

In 2015, Blue Origin's New Shepard vehicle reached space and successfully landed back on Earth.

2015: New Orbital Launch Vehicle Announced

In 2015, Jeff Bezos announced the development of a new orbital launch vehicle at Blue Origin, with its first flight expected in the late-2010s. Also in November, Blue Origin's New Shepard space vehicle successfully rocketed into space, reached a test altitude of 329,839 feet (100.5 kilometers), and executed a vertical landing in West Texas.

January 2016: Bezos Sets Out to Reinvent The Washington Post

In January 2016, Jeff Bezos aimed to reinvent The Washington Post as a media and technology company by reconstructing its digital media, mobile platforms, and analytics software.

March 2016: Bezos' Net Worth Registered at $45.2 Billion

In March 2016, Jeff Bezos' net worth was registered at $45.2 billion according to Forbes.

May 2016: Stock Sale

In May 2016, Jeff Bezos sold slightly more than one million shares of his holdings in Amazon for $671 million, which was the largest sum he had ever raised from selling some of his Amazon stock.

August 4, 2016: Stock Sale

On August 4, 2016, Jeff Bezos sold another million of his shares for $756.7 million.

October 2016: Bezos' Wealth Increases to $66.5 Billion

In October 2016, Jeff Bezos' wealth increased by $16.2 billion, reaching $66.5 billion, unofficially ranking him as the third-richest person in the world, behind Warren Buffett.

2016: Bezos invited to join Trump's Defense Innovation Advisory Board

Following the 2016 presidential election, Jeff Bezos was invited to join Donald Trump's Defense Innovation Advisory Board, which advises on improving technology used by the Defense Department.

2016: Wealth's Rapid Growth From 2016

From 2016 to 2017 Jeff Bezos's wealth grew rapidly sparking discussion about how much money Bezos earned.

2016: Bezos sells Amazon stock to fund Blue Origin

Since 2016, Jeff Bezos has been selling $1 billion in Amazon stock each year to capitalize Blue Origin in an effort to support his hopes to colonize the solar system.

January 2017: Bezos's Net Worth Increased

From January 2017 to January 2018, Jeff Bezos's net worth increased by $33.6 billion, surpassing the economic development of more than 96 countries around the world.

May 2017: Donation to Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

In May 2017, Jeff Bezos donated $1 million to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, which provides legal services for American journalists.

June 15, 2017: Twitter post on philanthropy strategy

On June 15, 2017, Jeff Bezos posted on Twitter seeking ideas for a philanthropy strategy focused on long-term impact, reflecting on his lifetime spending of approximately $100 million on charitable causes at that time.

July 2017: Bezos Briefly Unseats Bill Gates as Wealthiest Person

In July 2017, Jeff Bezos briefly surpassed Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates as the wealthiest person in the world due to jumps in Amazon's share price.

October 10, 2017: Bezos Makes $6.24 Billion in 5 Minutes

On October 10, 2017, Jeff Bezos made an estimated $6.24 billion in 5 minutes, slightly less than the then annual gross domestic product of Kyrgyzstan.

October 2017: Bezos Continues to Surpass Gates as Amazon's Share Price Fluctuates

Throughout the month of October 2017, Jeff Bezos continued to sporadically surpass Bill Gates as Amazon's share price fluctuated.

2017: Donations to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Between 2009 and 2017, Jeff Bezos donated to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

2017: Meyerson departs from Blue Origin

From 2003 to 2017, Rob Meyerson led Blue Origin and served as its first president.

2017: 130,000 Jobs Created

In 2017, Amazon created 130,000 jobs and the $28,446 figure for its median salary was called misleading, as it included part-time workers.

2017: Google Investment Value

In 2017, Jeff Bezos's $250,000 investment in Google in 1998 resulted in 3.3 million shares of Google stock, worth about $3.1 billion.

January 2018: Bezos's Net Worth Increased

From January 2017 to January 2018, Jeff Bezos's net worth increased by $33.6 billion, surpassing the economic development of more than 96 countries around the world.

January 2018: Bezos Announces Healthcare Venture

In January 2018, Jeff Bezos announced his involvement in a new, unnamed healthcare company, later named Haven, which is a partnership between Amazon, JPMorgan, and Berkshire Hathaway.

January 2018: Donation to TheDream.US

In January 2018, Jeff Bezos donated $33 million to TheDream.US, a college scholarship fund for undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as minors.

February 1, 2018: Amazon's Highest Profit

On February 1, 2018, Amazon reported its highest ever profit with quarterly earnings of $2 billion.

March 2018: India Expansion and Trump's Accusations

In March 2018, Jeff Bezos dispatched Amit Agarwal to India with $5.5 billion to localize Amazon's operations and U.S. President Donald Trump accused Amazon and Bezos of sales tax avoidance and anti-competitive practices.

March 2018: Bezos meets with Mohammad bin Salman

In March 2018, Jeff Bezos met with Mohammad bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, in Seattle to discuss investment opportunities for Saudi Vision 2030.

June 2018: Donation to Breakthrough Energy Ventures

In June 2018, Jeff Bezos donated to Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a private philanthropic fund founded by Bill Gates aimed at promoting emissions-free energy.

July 2018: Bezos's Net Worth Reaches $150 Billion

According to Quartz, Jeff Bezos's net worth of $150 billion in July 2018 was enough to purchase the entire stock markets of Nigeria, Hungary, Egypt, Luxembourg, and Iran.

July 17, 2018: Bezos Designated the 'Wealthiest Person in Modern History'

On July 17, 2018, Jeff Bezos was designated the "wealthiest person in modern history" by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Fortune, MarketWatch, The Wall Street Journal, and Forbes.

September 2018: Announcement of Day 1 Fund

In September 2018, Jeff Bezos announced that he would commit approximately $2 billion to a fund to deal with American homelessness and establish a network of non-profit preschools for low income communities, establishing the "Day 1 Families Fund" and the "Day 1 Academies Fund".

September 2018: Donation to With Honor

In September 2018, Jeff Bezos donated $10 million to With Honor, a nonpartisan organization that works to increase the number of veterans in political office.

October 2, 2018: Company-Wide Wage Increase

On October 2, 2018, Jeff Bezos announced a company-wide wage increase, raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour, which was applauded by Senator Bernie Sanders.

2018: Controversy Over JEDI Contract

In 2018, a $10 billion contract known as the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) project, this time with the Pentagon, was allegedly written up in a way that favors Amazon.

2018: Bezos Investor Meetings

In 2018, it was reported that Jeff Bezos met with Amazon investors for just six hours a year and required high-level employees to present information with six-page narratives instead of presentation slides.

November 2019: Amazon Files Lawsuit Over JEDI Contract Award

In November 2019, after the JEDI contract was awarded to Microsoft instead, Amazon filed a lawsuit with allegations that the bidding process was biased.

February 2020: Pledge to combat climate change through Bezos Earth Fund

In February 2020, Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion to combat climate change through the Bezos Earth Fund.

April 2020: Donation to food banks through Feeding America

In April 2020, early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Jeff Bezos donated $100 million to food banks through Feeding America.

February 2, 2021: Bezos announces transition to Executive Chairman

On February 2, 2021, Jeff Bezos emailed Amazon employees announcing he would step down as CEO in the third quarter of 2021 to become Executive Chairman of the Amazon Board, giving him more time for the Day 1 Fund, the Bezos Earth Fund, Blue Origin, The Washington Post, and other passions.

February 2021: Bezos announces stepping down as CEO of Amazon

In February 2021, Jeff Bezos announced that he would step down as CEO of Amazon in the third quarter of 2021, transitioning to the role of Executive Chairman.

July 5, 2021: Stepped Down as Amazon CEO

On July 5, 2021, Jeff Bezos stepped down as the CEO and president of Amazon, transitioning to the role of executive chairman, and was succeeded by Andy Jassy.

July 6, 2021: Pentagon Cancels JEDI Contract with Microsoft

On July 6, 2021, the Pentagon cancelled the JEDI contract with Microsoft, citing that "due to evolving requirements, increased cloud conversancy, and industry advances, the JEDI Cloud contract no longer meets its needs."

July 2021: Announcement of Courage and Civility Award

In July 2021, Jeff Bezos announced the Courage and Civility Award and donated $100 million each to lawyer Van Jones and chef José Andrés.

July 20, 2021: Bezos Launches on NS-16 Mission

On July 20, 2021, Jeff Bezos launched on the NS-16 mission with his half-brother Mark Bezos, Wally Funk, and Oliver Daemen. The suborbital flight lasted over 10 minutes, reaching a peak altitude of 66.5 miles (107.0 km).

September 2021: Co-founded Altos Labs

In September 2021, Jeff Bezos co-founded Altos Labs with Mail.ru founder Yuri Milner.

November 2021: Pledge to donate towards food systems and nature conservation

In November 2021, Jeff Bezos pledged to donate $2 billion towards restructuring food systems and nature conservation at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference.

November 22, 2021: Bezos Donates $100 Million to Obama Foundation

On November 22, 2021, Jeff Bezos donated $100 million to the Obama Foundation to "help expand the scope of programming that reaches emerging leaders", and requested the Obama Presidential Center's plaza to be named after John Lewis.

2021: Bezos steps down as CEO of Amazon

In 2021, Jeff Bezos stepped down as CEO of Amazon, focusing on Blue Origin, and became engaged to Lauren Sánchez.

January 19, 2022: Altos Labs Launches

On January 19, 2022, Altos Labs launched with a start capital of $3 billion and an executive team led by Hal Barron, dedicated to developing longevity therapeutics through cellular reprogramming.

November 22, 2022: Awards to organizations relocating homeless families

On November 22, 2022, Jeff Bezos awarded $123 million to organizations engaged in relocating homeless families to permanent housing through Day 1 Families Fund grants.

2023: Bezos' Forbes Ranking in 2023

According to Forbes, in 2023 Jeff Bezos was the second-wealthiest person in America and the third-wealthiest person in the world.

February 2024: Bezos' Net Worth in February 2024

According to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, in February 2024 Jeff Bezos' net worth is about $197 billion, making him the second-wealthiest person in the world.

February 2024: Bezos Sells Amazon Shares

In February 2024, Jeff Bezos sold 24 million shares of Amazon stock for $4 billion and announced plans to sell 50 million more shares over the next year.

March 2024: Donations to Eva Longoria and Bill McRaven

In March 2024, Jeff Bezos donated $50 million each to actress Eva Longoria and retired admiral Bill McRaven.

July 2024: Phone conversation between Bezos and Trump

In July 2024, Jeff Bezos held a private phone conversation with then-candidate Donald Trump, which reportedly planted the seeds of a "Bezos–Trump alliance".

December 2024: Bezos focuses on AI at Amazon

During an interview at the DealBook Summit in December 2024, Jeff Bezos stated that he was dedicating 95% of his time to artificial intelligence initiatives at Amazon.

2024: Bezos works to have a positive relationship with Trump

According to the Financial Times, in 2024, Jeff Bezos worked to have a positive relationship with Donald Trump, reportedly to further his business interests.

February 2025: Bezos dines with Musk and Trump

In February 2025, Jeff Bezos dined with Elon Musk and Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, and Amazon subsequently donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration. Also in February 2025, Bezos announced changes to The Washington Post's opinion policies to promote "free markets and personal liberties".